Battlestar
Encyclopedia
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
s from the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
universe of Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
, depicted in the original Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
movie and series, the Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
spinoff, and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
series.
General information
Battlestars are the premier capital ships, effectively the space equivalent of aircraft carrierAircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, of the 12 Colonies of Man; Battlestars have fought for at least five hundred yahren in the Thousand Yahren War
Cylon War
The Cylon War is a fictional interstellar war that occurred in the Battlestar Galactica universe. Both the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica movie and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries are set shortly after that conflict....
against the Cylon
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
Alliance.
The hull is divided into the main hull with the bridge and propulsion systems, and winged hangar bays on the port and starboard sides. Each hangar bay typically carries many Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
Starfighters and several shuttles. Given the large dimensions of the ship design there is an internal rail car system to transport personnel, especially in the event of a battle alert.
The fuel for a Battlestar and its Vipers is called tylium, a mysterious material that can be found only on certain planets. The Marvel Comic version listed several capabilities not seen in the tv series such as the Wall-a huge corridor, where technicians in huge floating chairs listed with headphones, by way of the Battlestars' sensors, everything from distant quasars, pulsars, super nova remnants and so forth, as a means to keep surveillance on possible Cylon activity or the true location of Earth.
Laser turrets
The laser turretTurret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s are essentially the same weapon as a Viper's laser cannon based on appearances alone. There are several known types of turret. One, the anti-ship type, is a slow-tracking heavy turret found along the outer edge of both hangar bays. They have longer barrels than other turrets. Above each anti-ship turret is an anti-fighter turret. They are flatter and thinner in appearance and track much faster. Their barrels are smaller and closer together. These weapons however lack the power to significantly damage capital ships.
Forward lasers
The forward lasers have only been seen in The Living Legend Part 2 and The Hand of God and are often confused with anti-ship missiles. They are powerful, orange-colored beam weapons solely for capital ship use.Anti-ship missiles
These heavy missiles give a Battlestar enough firepower to utterly destroy at least two Basestars. The only example of their use is in The Living Legend, Part 2, where they are fired at the same time as, and often confused with, the forward lasers.List of Battlestars
Eight Battlestars were seen or mentioned by name during the TV series. Of these, five were known to have survived by the time the original movie took place.-
- Many are identified in background radio chatter in the original pilot film ("... Battlestars Atlantia and Acropolis losing speed..") (Background voiceover Male: "...Request damage reports from Battlestars Triton and Pacifica.." Background voiceover female: "...no response from the Triton and the Pacifica") (Background voiceover female: "...This is the Acropolis. We're on fire. Request shuttles to..." )
A sixth Battlestar (the Pegasus
Battlestar Pegasus
Battlestar Pegasus is a fictional spacecraft that appears in the both the original and the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica.- Battlestar Galactica :...
) was thought to have been lost, but reappeared during the series.
- Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (ship)The Battlestar Galactica is a space battleship in the original and re-imagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.The Twelve Colonies of Man in the original television series built a number of Battlestars during their thousand-year war with the Cylons, whose battleships are...
- Built 500 yahren before the close of the Thousand Yahren War. It is commanded by Commander AdamaCommander AdamaCommander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
. The Galactica has about 150 Vipers aboard, a mixture of its own, some from the other Battlestars at the Peace Conference, and a great number of fighters from the Pegasus.- Battlestar Atlantia
- Lost at the Peace Conference. Atlantia carried President Adar and the Council of Twelve. Was the first battlestar destroyed in the Battle of Cimtar.
- Battlestar Pacifica
- Lost at the Peace Conference. Novelization states that she was sister ship of the Atlantia, was the largest of the battlestars and had previously been destroyed.
- Battlestar Triton
- Lost at the Peace Conference.
- Battlestar Acropolis
- Lost at the Peace Conference.
- Battlestar PegasusBattlestar PegasusBattlestar Pegasus is a fictional spacecraft that appears in the both the original and the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica.- Battlestar Galactica :...
- Battlestar Pegasus
- Sole survivor of the Battle of Molecay, 2 yahrens before the Destruction of the Colonies. The Pegasus was commanded by Commander CainCommander CainCommander Cain is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica science fiction TV series, portrayed by the American actor Lloyd Bridges.-Description:...
. Missing in action, since the Battle of Gamoray when she destroyed two Cylon Basestars. Viper pilots from the Pegasus' Silver Spar Squadron, wore a helmet design that bore a 'flying horse' unlike the Galactica's Blue and Red Squadron pilots falcon/eagle crest Viper helmets, due to the Pegasus' own namesake.- Battlestar
- In the episode "Gun on Ice Planet Zero", a Cadet Cree claims to be from the Battlestar Columbia in an attempt to foil the interrogation efforts by the Gold Command Centurion Vulpa. Vulpa answers back that the Columbia was lost in the Peace Conference with the rest of the fleet.
- Battlestar Rycon
- In the episode "Take the Celestra", during an awards ceremony Commander Kronus is described as having 'risen from the ranks to command the Battlestar Rycon, a ship famed for destroying 3 Cylon Basestars at the Battle Of Cosmora Archipelago, but at the cost of the Rycon herself presumably. '
- Battlestar
- Another ship mentioned as destroyed in the novelization of the original series 1st episode. Was the last Battlestar destroyed according to the Battlestar Galactica novelization, when Lt. Starbuck and Lt. Boomer tried to find another ship to land on because of burning up a lot of fuel due to the use of full turbos on their Vipers, during the Battle Of Cimtar. Its ship insignia would've featured a 'Burning Sun' and as the ornament crests on the Viper pilots helmets.
- Battlestar Prometheus
- Another ship that was on a list of names given to the costume department during production of the series. Viper pilot helmet ornament and ship insignia, would have featured a hand holding a burning torch, to denote what Battlestar the Viper pilot was assigned to and the ship's actual flag insignia.
- Battlestar Cerberus
- In the novelization for "The Living Legend", Adama recalls serving with Cain and a friend named Apollo on the battlestar Cerberus. Apollo is killed in a battle at Sagitara and Adama names his son in honor of him.
Battlestar Galactica (reimagined series)
A Battlestar in the re-imagined science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
combines the functions of battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
and aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
. The re-imagined series' Battlestars, as well as the series' other visual effects are designed and created by Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California. They specialize in visual effects for feature films, episodic television, commercials, video games, advertising design, and interactive online media...
for Battlestar Galactica.
Flak Guns
Used for defense against incoming missiles and fighters, the flak gun fires a round which appears to work in a similar manner to modern day anti aircraft artillery; a round is fired towards then enemy, detonating and spraying shrapnel in all directions as it reaches them. Both Galactica and Pegasus use their anti-ship cannons to fire flak rounds when not attacking capital ships.Light Guns
Similar in function to the gun armament carried by fighters, the Galactica's light guns apparently fire simple bullets at the enemy at a high rate of fire.With dozens or even hundreds of light gun and flak gun emplacements, a Battlestar like Galactica is able to pour a very heavy volume of fire into space, creating a zone which is difficult, though not impossible, for attackers to penetrate.
Anti-ship Cannon
Galactica style Battlestars carry 20 larger dual-barrel cannons for use against enemy capital ships. Mercury class Battlestars carry 28 and also 4 mounted forward heavy cannons. Such cannon have proven to be able to inflict significant damage upon Cylon Basestars.List of Battlestars
Out of about 120 battlestars (Kara Thrace described a loss of thirty as being "almost a quarter of the fleet"), relatively few are known. The Galactica is a model from the Galactica class of battlestar. The Pegasus is from the newer Mercury class of battlestar.- Galactica
- Pegasus
- Columbia (two battlestars bearing this name are known to have existed)
- Atlantia
- Triton
- Valkyrie
- Mercury
- Solaria
- Athena
- Yashuman
- Vortex (seen on a report given by Dualla to Gaeta during the attack)
- Uned (seen on a report given by Dualla to Gaeta during the attack)
- Erasmus (seen on a report on Adama's desk when searching for a new CAG)
- Night Flight (seen on a report on Adama's desk when searching for a new CAG)
Of these the first Columbia was destroyed during Operation Raptor Talon at the close of the First Cylon war. Yashuman was disabled by the CNP backdoor in the first minutes of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and was presumably destroyed along with most of the rest of the Fleet (these events occurred off screen). The Pegasus just escaped the Fall of the Scorpion Ship yards by a blind jump and was destroyed around two years later at the Battle of New Caprica. The Galactica escaped the Fall and spent the next four or so years protecting the civilian fleet. Badly crippled while destroying the Cylon colony, Galactica and its fleet were piloted into the Sun after the survivors landed on Earth.
External links
Battlestar Galactica (2003, 2004–2009)- Official Blueprints for the Battlestar Galactica by Zoic StudiosZoic StudiosZoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California. They specialize in visual effects for feature films, episodic television, commercials, video games, advertising design, and interactive online media...
. - Galactica type Battlestar at BattlestarWiki.
- Mercury class Battlestar at BattlestarWiki.
Battlestar Galactica (1978, 1980)
- Battlestar at BattlestarWiki.
- Battlestar Galactica: Technical Manual